μῆτις

See also: μήτις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *mḗtis, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₁tis (“measurement”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Cognate with Old English mǣþ. Apparently an Aeolic or Doric form, as the Attic-Ionic form would have been *μῆσις (*mêsis).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.tis/ → /ˈmi.tis/ → /ˈmi.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.tis/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈme̝.tis/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.tis/

Noun

μῆτῐς • (mêtĭs) f (genitive μήτῐος or μήτῐδος); third declension (poetic)

1. skill
2. counsel
3. plan

Declension

Third declension of μῆτῐς; μήτῐος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	μῆτῐς mêtĭs	μήτῐε mḗtĭe	μήτῐες / μήτηες mḗtĭes / mḗtēes
Genitive	μήτῐος / μήτηος mḗtĭos / mḗtēos	μητῐ́οιῐν mētĭ́oiĭn	μητῐ́ων mētĭ́ōn
Dative	μήτῐῐ / μήτῑ / μήτηῐ̈ / μήτει mḗtĭĭ / mḗtī / mḗtēĭ̈ / mḗtei	μητῐ́οιῐν mētĭ́oiĭn	μητῐ́εσσῐ / μητῐ́εσσῐν / μήτεσῐ / μήτεσῐν / μήτῐσῐ / μήτῐσῐν mētĭ́essĭ(n) / mḗtesĭ(n) / mḗtĭsĭ(n)
Accusative	μῆτῐν mêtĭn	μήτῐε mḗtĭe	μήτῐᾰς / μήτηᾰς / μήτῑς mḗtĭăs / mḗtēăs / mḗtīs
Vocative	μῆτῐ mêtĭ	μήτῐε mḗtĭe	μήτῐες / μήτηες mḗtĭes / mḗtēes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Third declension of μῆτῐς; μήτῐδος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	μῆτῐς mêtĭs	μήτῐδε mḗtĭde	μήτῐδες mḗtĭdes
Genitive	μήτῐδος mḗtĭdos	μητῐ́δοιῐν mētĭ́doiĭn	μητῐ́δων mētĭ́dōn
Dative	μήτῐδῐ mḗtĭdĭ	μητῐ́δοιῐν mētĭ́doiĭn	μήτῐσῐ / μήτῐσῐν / μητῐ́δεσσῐ / μητῐ́δεσσῐν / μητῐ́δεσῐ / μητῐ́δεσῐν mḗtĭsĭ(n) / mētĭ́dessĭ(n) / mētĭ́desĭ(n)
Accusative	μήτῐδᾰ mḗtĭdă	μήτῐδε mḗtĭde	μήτῐδᾰς mḗtĭdăs
Vocative	μῆτῐς mêtĭs	μήτῐδε mḗtĭde	μήτῐδες mḗtĭdes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-ds.

Derived terms

• ἀγκυλομήτης (ankulomḗtēs)
• μητίετα (mētíeta)
• Μῆτις (Mêtis)
• ποικιλομήτης (poikilomḗtēs)
• πολύμητις (polúmētis)

Descendants

• → English: metis²

Further reading

• μῆτις in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “μῆτις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press